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Open Thread on Mandalay Bay mass shooting in Las Vegas

Chaos in the aftermath of the shooting

UPDATE: 2:30 PM 10/2/17: The death toll has risen to 58, with more than 500 injured. Though it was first reported that Paddock was killed by police it now appears he shot himself before the police entered his room. There are still no details as to Paddock’s possible motives. The original post follows.

As I write this, the media is reporting that 50 have been killed and more than 400 others have been injured in a mass shooting at an open-air concert in Las Vegas. Police have identified the shooter as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, who opened fire on concertgoers from a hotel room in the Mandalay Bay complex overlooking the venue, killing dozens before himself being shot dead by police.

The staggering death toll, which seems sure to rise, makes this the worst mass shooting in American history. At this point we know very little about the shooter or what his motives may have been, but that hasn’t stopped 4Channers and far-right “media” sources from spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories.

We’ll know more soon enough, I assume. In the meantime, here are a few useful tweets I’ve gathered up so far.

A couple of thread on on the disinformation being spread about the shooting by many of the usual suspects.

The execrable right-wing Gateway Pundit remains dedicated to getting everything wrong the fastest.

Other relevant tweets:

https://twitter.com/NivenJ1/status/914795331241484288

My heart goes out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy. If you’re a WHTM reader who lives in or around Las Vegas, or if you’re visiting there, please let us know how you are doing.

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Amnesia
Amnesia
7 years ago

@Leo

Yeah, I’ve thought the same at times, that the planning and effort that goes into so much of these attacks sounds like it’d be too much for a significant chunk of mentally ill people. And I am saying that as someone who’s had plenty of her own mental health issues. Like, even if at any point I was in a state of mind to think shooting a bunch of people was a good idea, it’d most likely be derailed by an anxiety attack after not finding a local gun outlet’s open hours on their website.

If it sounded too much like I was blaming mental illness for gun violence like so many do, I’m sorry. I thought the point about many of these shooters probably having access to decent mental health care if they seriously needed it was worth bringing up, as sort of an ‘it doesn’t actually make much of a difference if they’re mentally ill or not’ statement, but I was kinda iffy about posting it in the first place…

Overly Long Name
Overly Long Name
7 years ago

Welp, I’m wishing violence upom the heads of the NRA now, can someone please talk me out of that?

Leo
Leo
7 years ago

@Amnesia
NP, I understood the intent. I think it’s kind of difficult to say since decent mental health treatment is hard to come by, even if you can afford it, and is by no means a panacea.

Yeah, even if I were somehow in a mindframe to be thinking about it, with my depression I just wouldn’t have the energy to plan something like that, it’s not very compatible with wanting to since it’s not outwardly directed hatred, and just simply doesn’t impair judgement in that way to that extent. With a condition like unmanaged paranoid schizophrenia or a psychotic break that could impair judgement like that, I’m not sure they’d be as likely to have the capability to plan to that extent. It always bugs me how when these things do get blamed on mental illness, they never bring up which condition and why the symptoms could cause this. Let alone mentioning how most of us with a mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

Michelle
Michelle
7 years ago

I was outside the Mandaly Bay and Luxor Casinos when the machine gun shooting started. It was very loud and the echo made it sound like there were multiple attackers.

I was running from machine gun fire. Unbeknowest to me he was sweeping the concert nextdoor. He didn’t target the people on the streets because the “meat” was at the concert. But I did not know that. The tall buildings amplified the sounds dramatically. It was so loud. I could hear the bullets whizzing overhead and richocheting. I thought I was being indiscriminantly targeted with the others.

I ran into the hotel next door. We were told by others, the police, and hotel security there appeared to be a coordinated attack with multiple active shooters. This was also confirmed by irresponsible individuals posing as “news organizations” on Twitter.

Over the next 4-5 hours I experianced terror, helplessness, and victimization hiding in a closet waiting to be killed. The police could not help citing “procedure”. I beleived unknown individuals were sweeping the casinos trying to kill as many people as possible. I could only fathom this as the reason why the police refused to come up.

It only took one murdering psychopathic to cause all this panic. However he was helped by irresponsible reporters on Twitter. I believe these people, who were reporting false shooters during this tragic event, should be investigated and held accoutable for thier reckless reports which led to police resources being tied up, and people hiding in closets and crawl way spaces all over the hotels in sheer terror as a result.

Regarding the killer. I would be lying if I said I did not notice a quiet fury amoung white males who date asian women. I’ve confided and learned, that many of these white males, are not with Asian women because they love them. Only because they are deemed to be “submissive” and only as an alternative to white females who they crave so much, yet are unable to form bonds with. For whatever reason. This leads to quiet fury and rage. Everything is bottled up with these “engineering types”. It was the first thing I thought when I say the killers girlfriend. White males will tell you they have an “Asian fetish”. And that very well may be true for many. However, if you compare the sheer numbers of white males dating Asian women today, to the past, you will easily see that today the numbers are so high, percentage wise, they are out of line. Yes I am out of line too. Yes. But this is how I feel and I will not ignore it.

I feel he sent his GF away to commit this evil henious act against a group of people he felt hurt and ignored him his entire life. White people.

Now I am going to say something here. Many people on this website will not like hearing this. But it must be said.

There was one thing. And only one thing I wanted more than anything else in the world during the hours I spent hiding in the dark closet with the lights off: a gun.

The security staff were being chided by partons for being disarmed. Nobody had a gun in the Casinos. Nobody knew when the active shooter would revel himself or herself. This is why I fled upstairs.

I now completely 100% disagree with the so called “liberal values” of gun control. I believe gun control is only intutively correct.

None of these people on T.V. identifying as so called liberals, including Anna from the Young Turks, experianced the kind of terror I experienced on October 1st and 2nd, 2017. Yet they profess to tell everyone that guns should be banned. I learned machine guns were banned in 1929 and again in 1986. The machine gun ban has been longstanding and criminals are routinely arrested for machine guns even though manufacture and importation has been banned for decades. What I experienced is proof the laws do not work.

I was weeping furious at myself for not having a tiny handgun to protect myself during this once in a life time moment of crisis. This will never happen again. I will apply for a concealed carry permit this week.

Please pray for all the victims in Las Vegas. This angry old white man fueled by decades of hate, murdered so many innocent people. I have been crying for 3 days looking at photos of all the beautiful and innocent people he murdered. Family members. Friends. I can only hope and pray he finds a special place in hell, for the hell he rained on others who were in no way responsible for his frustrated, bottled up, hateful existience.

Thank you for allowing me to voice my thoughts on your website.

Joaquin
Joaquin
7 years ago

@ Michelle

Thank you for your words, i understand that feeling all too well, that’s why i don’t have respect for gun control groups.

I hope you may find peace again.

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